Monthly Archives: May 2012

May 22, 2012- The ad is the work of two of the most fearsome players in Republican politics: Larry McCarthy, the producer behind the infamous Willie Horton commercial in 1988, and Crossroads GPS, the political battle squad founded by Karl Rove.

When it makes its debut Wednesday in 10 swing states as the centerpiece of a $25 million campaign, it is expected to become one of the most heavily broadcast political commercials of this phase of the general election.

Yet what Mr. McCarthy and Crossroads have produced is not the kind of searing denunciation of President Obama that their track records would suggest. More soft-pedal than Swift Boat, the 60-second advertisement, complete with special effects, is a deeply researched, delicately worded story of a struggling family; its relatively low-key tone is all the more striking, coming at a point in the campaign when each side is accusing the other of excessive negativity.

May 22, 2012– Crossroads GPS, the nonprofit affiliate of Karl Rove’s American Crossroads, will go up on air Wednesday with a new ad to push the idea that President Obama has failed to help American families, reports the New York Times. More subtle than ads which call the president radical or argue that he lacks integrity, the team at Crossroads determined that the most effective attack on Obama was to strike a softer, disappointed tone.

The new ad will air in 10 swing states as the “centerpiece” of the group’s $25 million on air offensive this month and will likely be, according to the Times, “one of the most heavily broadcast political commercials of this phase of the general election.”

Called “Basketball,” the ad features a mother who’s worried because her adult children have moved home after being unable to find jobs.

Crossroads, a group backed by Republican strategist Karl Rove, said the ad is part of $25 million advocacy initiative and will run in 10 states, including Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

Crossroads is not a super PAC, but a 501(c)4. It does not have to disclose its donors.

We’re checking several claims from this ad. Today, we start with the following claims:

September 3, 2010- Labor Day marks the unofficial end of summer and the unofficial beginning of the high political campaign season. And while we’re all bound to spend a fair amount of time talking about the issues and candidates this election cycle, we want to begin with what is often called the mother’s milk of politics: money.

September 24, 2011- Rick Perry is the perfect republican presidential candidate. He is backed by people with huge potential for campaign contributions, he has passed the Donald Trump litmus tests, and he has a campaign staff that develops false television advertisements. Perry also meets the oft reported GOP requirement of ‘attractive’. How many times have you heard, “He has good hair?”

The last well-known set of GOP ads meant to scare, also emanated from the GOP: The “Swift Boat” and the Roger Ailes “Willie Horton” ads. Both ad campaigns lead to Bush administrations. The Swift Boat ad is arguably responsible for the second George W. Bush term and current state of economic disaster.

Perry’s campaign has released two ads that are centered around a theme that is a flat-out lie. The first television ad followed Perry’s Obama “Zero” (created zero jobs) statement during the CNN/Tea Party debate.

May 7, 2012- WASHINGTON — Crossroads Grassroots Policy Strategies, the political ad-buying organization cofounded by Republican strategist Karl Rove in 2010, has officially submitted its first tax forms with the Internal Revenue Service, and as expected, the group is formally requesting that the IRS treat it as a nonprofit operating under section 501(c)(4) of the tax code.